Dusk's Enterprise: Research Inc
by Alkuna
Summary: Dusk is back in her final installment. She's still in school with her friends plus Migga from Tyrannia. Home in the Darigan Citadel, it's time to complete another school year and complete the newest project... to make a business. R&R Please!
1. Chapter 1

School always had its social class; the pecking order always shifting, sorting, and adjusting as groups were contesting with one another to cast out or add members. Ever since my trip to Tyrannia (and following that, many, many other lands as well) I had kind of slipped out of the hierarchy. My name is Dusk and I'm a female Darigan Kougra; though sometimes I forget and call myself Tyrannian, thanks to the trip last year.

Oh yeah, and I can't forget Obsidian, my Black Gruslen. For something with tusks and sharp little claws, he's a really sweet fellow. We go on runs together and he usually ends up being the one giving me the exercise.

Anyway, I'm also in my first semester of my... wow... third year in Neoschool. And there's the bell, signaling to Neopia's teenage population that it's time for another dull day of "learning" via the blackboard.

Really, I'd rather learn to fish by talking to a salty old sea Tuskaninny with a beard thicker than my fur than sit in a classroom taking notes on the magical mechanic of a hook on a line attached to a pole.

Ugh.

I hefted my backpack over my shoulder, grunting slightly with its weight, and joined the flood of personalities that poured through the front door of the school. Obsidian, who could never stand being cooped up alone in a boring old Neohome, was riding on my shoulder. He would be cooped up in a boring old Neoschool, but he would at least have my company and the occasional scratches behind the ears that he loved so much.

Weight lifters strutted by, flexing muscles and boasting about the best weight they ever pulled. Not that I didn't pause and admire the muscles and handsome faces once in a while. Fashion queens paraded by, sporting the latest make-up (all dark shades here in the Darigan Citadel) and jabbering mindlessly about the best colors and where to find them. Not that I didn't occasionally pick up on a nice shade for myself. Nerds speculated equations back and forth and sometimes I picked up a tip to help me in my own tests. The social outcasts huddled together and cast longing glances here and there as they spotted their idols.

Then there was my... group, I guess you could call them. Those of us hard working students who had made a semester long trip to a foreign land kind of banded together. Well, some of us anyway, as several of the students who made the trips just seemed glad that it was over and they no longer had to act "worldly".

And then there was Migga.

Migga is a Tyrannian native Uni, currently painted Darigan to fit in. She's spending the semester here, learning Common Neopian and the ways of the 'dark side.' Well, dark, though not evil per se... Our Citadel is clothed in almost eternal twilight, even at noon; a big contrast to Tyrannia, where the days are burning hot and impossibly bright.

"Hello everyone," Migga greeted the group carefully, in Common Neopian. "May I join you?"

"Absolutely. Oh, that means 'of course', Migga." A Lupe friend of mine scooted over to make room for the powerfully built Uni to join our cluster. His Maractite accessories jingled merrily like water on chimes as he moved.

Our group consisted of Shade, the Maractite sporting Lupe; Twilight, a Zafara with Faerieland pastel highlights in her hair and along her back; Depth, a Peophin still wearing her Haunted Woods witch hat and cloak; me, bearing pale yellow streaks on my face from my time in Tyrannia; and Migga, who had gone total Darigan.

Lunch was our social time, and we chatted and ate and basically hung out with others like ourselves. Migga was getting better at speaking and we all pitched in to help her along. Then the bell would ring and the lot of us would all troop to our next class. Fortunately this semester we shared most of our classes.

Migga and I sat next to each other, debating back and forth what today's "semester project" was going to be. It was time for a new project to be handed out, and I wasn't looking forward to what the school staff was going to cook up this time. Last time I had been sent to Tyrannia with no language skills to speak of and no one immediately present to help me out. If Migga hadn't come over after seeing me crying, things would have gone a whole lot rougher. The final bell for the passing period rang and we all shared a look before quieting down. Well, here went nothing.

Our teacher strode into class, took attendance and began pulling out a stack of papers, "All right class, as you have been expecting for most of the week, your Semester projects have been selected." She placed her huge Darigan Eyrie paws on the desk and sent a glance over the lot of us.

A collective mutter of disgust and resignation washed through the room.

She ignored us. "Pass these along and we'll go over it. All right now, let's go over 'Project Lemonade Stand' and make sure that everyone knows what's expected. In groups of no more than five students, you must create a business and test it out. Don't think you're going to get out of it easy!" she barked, when some students began to mutter in conspiring tones.

She began to stride back and forth in front of the class, glaring sternly into the eyes of the students, "I expect real businesses, folks, not some silly made-up scheme. If your business fails, I want you to document exactly what you tried to do to make it succeed and what you could have done better. If your business succeeds, I want you to explain exactly what worked as well as get written feedback from your customers."

She came to a stop and waited, making sure everyone had the idea. "Very well then, you may now break up into groups and start discussing ideas."

My friends immediately made their way over to me. We didn't even have to look around; we just gathered to start working.

Obsidian hopped onto my desk and sat down on top of my assignment sheet, placing himself in the center of attention while he washed a paw delicately. He 'rrowl'ed a complaint when I scooped him up but gave in when I offered him my lap instead. That satisfied him; it was a perfect place to be petted.

We started making a list of possible businesses we could make, talking over the rumble of my Gruslen's purrs. We nixed food and drink stands, simply because it was the easy way out and there was a risk of other groups picking the same idea. So too with designer clothing, petpets, medicines... we practically nixed everything on the Shops road of Neopia Central.

In fact, school ended before we could figure out anything. We all had our interests and skills, but none of them really meshed. We eventually made a trip down to the Rainbow Pool and sat on the lush grass while we made a list of what we all could do.

I was great at math so I would have no problem handling that part of the business, once we actually settled on what that would actually be. Both Migga and I could talk to any Tyrannian clients, and she was surprisingly skilled at keeping us from getting too off track. Shade lived for the Battledome and if he wasn't fighting, he was training; his ultimate goal was to defeat the Snowager... just once. Twilight had a keen eye for shop deals and prices. Once we had something, she'd be perfect for handling our products. Depth could rattle off the current trend in clothing, make up, paint fashion, petpets and color in seconds, which was okay, except we had already nixed selling any of that.

A passing Owner – one of those really old Neopians aged, like thirty or so – paused when he heard us re-reading our list of skills.

"Trying to think of a business?" he asked conversationally, leaning against a tree.

My tail frizzed out. A stranger!

Migga smiled warmly. "Yes, sir. We are trying to find a way to... to..." she grappled with a word for a moment before finding a way around it, "put together our skills."

"Migga," Shade growled in an undertone, "don't go near him. We don't know what he'd do."

"But he is just talking," Migga returned, confusion in her eyes.

I sighed. Apparently Tyrannia doesn't have a problem with con artists... or... worse.

"You friend is right," the man admitted, holding up his hands in a no-harm-meant gesture, "You don't know me or what I might do. Tell you what; I can give you a word to look up, and then go away. You can take that advice or not, as you see fit, okay?"

We all traded looks and nodded slowly.

"Look up the word 'consultant' and see if that helps you out any," and then true to his word, he turned away and sauntered off, whistling a Pteri to his arm as we went.

We borrowed Migga's Quick Reference Dictionary.

"C-a-n..."

"No I think it's c-o-n..."

Nattering back and forth, we finally found the word we were looking for:

Consultant – Noun. An expert who charges a fee for providing advice or services in a specific field.

"How could we charge for giving advice?" Depth asked, looking bewildered.

I had caught on right away. "Well think, some rich Mutant Jetsam walks up to you and says, 'I want to buy a petpet that matches my color,'" I said.

"Mutant Ona," she replied instantly, "And I recommend Dark Red Lipstick, Gold Eyeshadow, and Red Blush to look natural with the colors if it's a girl..." her voice drifted off as her eyes went wide.

"I can get all of that at a really good price," Twilight added.

"And I could find the perfect weapons if they want to take it to the Battledome." Shade's tail was starting to wag excitedly.

"I can total it up plus include a decent fee for services." I rubbed my paws excitedly.

"And I can make sure all the papers are in order," Migga nickered. "Oh what a wonderful idea!"

What had started out as a slow, hopeless afternoon turned into a flurry of productive activity that evening. At Twilight's suggestion, we dubbed our business "Research Inc: Consulting and Acquiring." There was a collective groan at the pun our name contained, but we couldn't think of anything better that would tell our customers about us.

We were still ironing out several tasks that we would each be responsible for once we got some clients as we ate dinner. That night, we split up with the agreement to come back together the next day to continue ironing out ideas.


	2. Chapter 2

Migga soon had a form for our customers to fill out.

1. Name:

2. Species:

3. Gender:

4. Do you want to be painted? Yes or No

4a. If Yes, what are your choices?

5. Do you want a Petpet? Yes or No

5a. Do you want the Petpet to be painted too? Yes or No

5b. If Yes, what are your choices?

5c. Are you afraid of, or allergic to, any petpets?

5d. What kind of petpet do you want? (Playful, obedient, etc)

6. Do you want to be morphed into a new species? Yes or No

6a. Are you afraid of, or allergic to, any Species of Neopet?

7. Would you like us to recommend any grooming supplies that would match your chosen color?

7a. Are you allergic to any grooming products?

8. Do you plan on entering the Battle Dome any time in the future?

8a. Would you like us to recommend some useful Attack and Defense items?

9. If you are undecided about any of your options, or would like to supply the information for reference, please write out a summary of your personality and particular likes and dislikes. We respect privacy and we will not use any of your information to embarrass or offend you in any way.

"Okay Dusk," Migga said, "We need you to figure out the fees that we would charge. Keep in mind we don't want this for only the Neomillionaires."

I nodded and sat down. Okay. I couldn't see any reason to charge Neopians for filling out the form. Anyone could do that without our help, so charging for it was stupid. Now, the average Neopian should be able to play at least one game well. Those that couldn't simply wouldn't be worrying about anything but food for themselves.

I began to sketch out a plan. Depth and Shade would be the ones to discuss with our customers what they wanted. Each should charge a fee for talking it over professionally. Depth on fashion and Shade on Battling, each would charge... ummm... one thousand Neopoints each; the cost of one max Send Score on a game. And if a customer didn't want to battle or didn't want to worry about fashion, they wouldn't have to pay for it.

Once the customers picked out what they did and didn't want... the next step would be Twilight. She would locate and buy the items our customer wanted for the best Shop Wizard or Trading Post price. Add to that a finder's fee. Hmm. How to make that balanced? It was stupid to charge a lot if the customer was only looking for a cheap petpet or minor paint brush. But it would also be a bad idea to charge only a tiny bit for someone who wanted a Faerie Kadoatie and a Royal Paint Brush. So we would need an adjustable fee that wouldn't look like we were being greedy. A percentage finder's fee... Maybe ten or fifteen percent of the total cost.

I was scribbling out the plan furiously. If they didn't want to pay the finder's fee, they could always go looking for it their own darn selves and pay whatever price they found. I allowed myself a sour smirk. Maybe I shouldn't deal with the customers too much; I was too doggone sarcastic for a snobby Neopet to tolerate. Well I would have to behave somewhat, at least for talking them through the paperwork.

Okay, so a charge for consulting... and a fee for finding the best price and acquiring it. That should be good; there wasn't any reason to charge for anything else.

Satisfied with what I had, I took it back to my classmates. Each looked it over and no one seemed to have any problem with what I had written up.

Our next challenge was to find the right place to start our business. Neopia Central was too crowded. Faerieland was out of the question; we were colored far too dark for such a bright and cheery place... and we didn't want the wrong kinds of faeries taking an interest in us. Tyrannia was a flop because Migga wasn't supposed to be home until the end of the semester. The Haunted Woods weren't crowded enough; too many people were afraid to go there. The Lost Desert was even hotter than Tyrannia... Terror Mountain was way too cold... Meridell just wouldn't tolerate us because we were all Darigan painted...

"What about Brightvale?" Depth suggested, flipping her graceful tail to emphasize her point, "The climate is okay, and people there depend on intelligence. Not to mention they don't hate us for our, um, past."

Migga and I were promptly chosen to take up the matter with their King, Hagan.

I was not comfortable. I stood taller than any of the Draik guards, but they held their weapons like they meant business.

Migga, on the other hand, clopped regally and calmly into the room as we were announced.

"Lady Migga and Lady Dusk in the case of starting a business within the honorable walls of our city," a prim looking Shoyru announced as we entered.

"Hmmm," the handsome Skeith stroked his beard as he looked over the two of us. His keen gaze took in Migga's powerfully built shoulders and warm gaze, seeming immune to the fact that they were currently blood red.

You, young Migga are from Tyrannia, correct? he said in perfect Tyrannian.

Migga nickered joyfully and tossed her mane. Yes your Majesty!

He took in my slightly smaller build and lean muscles built for sprinting through darkened streets, "And you, young Dusk, though you've visited Tyrannia, you are native to the Darigan Citadel."

I swallowed. "Yes sir, eek, I mean Majesty."

Hagan laughed. "Now, now, no need to worry that a slip of the tongue would offend me. I was very curious about your proposed business that you sent me via Neomail. Please, tell me more about your plans and intentions."

That was a booby trapped question if I ever heard one. Anything remotely dishonest in our plans would bring an immediate rejection. And the intelligence in the king's eyes told me that nothing was going to get by him.

Nervously but trying to put an enthusiastic paw/hoof forward, Migga and I began outlining our plans for out little venture. The king listened intently, lacing his fingers together in front of him. When we finished, some of the Draiks were looking at us out of the corners of their eyes and their fan-shaped ears cocked in our direction; despite their at-attention pose, they were listening to us with interest.

Then Hagan cleared his throat and began asking some rather pointed questions. What if a customer wanted something but couldn't afford it at that time? Would we offer some kind of payment plan?

That thought rocked me. Could we? Maybe let them offer gradually increasing amounts until they reached the goal perhaps?

How did we plan on getting the word out that there was a business in the first place? What would we do to advertise? How would we handle snotty customers? What kind of security would we use to keep our shop from getting broken into?

My ears began to droop. Those things hadn't occurred to me. Even Migga seemed to feel awkward despite her normally sunny disposition.

But then Hagan smiled. "Well, don't feel too discouraged now; I'm not trying to pop your Kiko Balloons. You kids seem to have the beginnings of a pretty interesting and unique business venture. I'm merely advising you to start thinking about the things I'm asking you about. Believe me, they will come up."

The gears in my head were grinding now, about how we could handle the ideas Hagan mentioned.

"Don't hurt yourself just yet." He chuckled as I chewed my tongue thoughtfully. "Your ideas are good, so I'll tell you what... I'm going to grant your request to start your business here. Even better, I'm going to order a small shop built for you in sight of our main shop roads. It's going to be bare bones inside; you kids will have to furnish everything. And if your business takes off, I expect you to handle the expenses of expanding."

My heart thundered in my chest. King Hagan, the most intelligent Neopet in the whole world, thought our business was good!

As we were escorted out, the two of us shared an enthusiastic cheer and pranced along the road. A commotion over by the Wheel of Knowledge drew our attention. Already the Neopian Building committee was sectioning off a lot for our building to be created.

The next day, armed with a loan from our school "bank", we all trooped down to take a look at the Shop. The building was simple with a front display window and room inside for a few desks and chairs... if we organized them right. We went to work that afternoon, furnishing our shop with the cheapest furniture we could find and making fliers to announce our grand opening.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later we were ready to give it the old Darigan try. Our front window had a display made up of diagrams drawn beautifully on poster paper and catchy phrases.

Green Lupe -- Halloween Paint brush -- Halloween Lupe

"We'll teach you the newest trends!"

"Awesome Training Tips and Weapon Suggestions!"

Twilight unlocked our front doors on our Grand opening, and shrieked in fear. If not for her powerful Zafara legs, she would have been trampled. As it was we ultimately found her clinging frantically to the rafters several minutes later, where she had leaped to avoid the crush of restockers.

It took us several minutes to convince the mob that we were not a restocking store and that our business was in advice, not items. The crowd left, muttering darkly, and Migga quickly directed Shade to hang a sign in our front window. "This business does not restock!"

"Come ON, Twilight, let go. The mob is gone." Depth gently convinced Twilight to come back down. "It's okay, you're safe."

Reluctantly our traumatized classmate hung down from the rafters, peering suspiciously around for signs of another rush, then dropped with a thump to the floor. "I'm not sure I want to ever open those doors again!"

That was a major lesson learned, and it was only our first ten minutes open. But with the sign up, now nobody was coming inside. Nobody thought our business was a business without something to actually buy. The first rush... and for all the rest of the day, we didn't have anyone as actual customers. Oh sure, several curious people wandered in and looked around; but ultimately they all left again without talking to any of us.

I didn't get it. I scratched behind one ear in confusion as we all sat back to figure out what we were missing. We had fliers up everywhere, in every land except the unconfirmed Jelly World. I had even put up a notice on the Notice Boards.

"Well, most people don't even look at the Notice Boards anymore," Depth pointed out.

"Most people hang out around the... Chat... Boards..." A light seemed to flash above Twilight's head. "You guys hang out here; let me try talking it up on the Shop Ads Board for a little bit." And with a flick of her spade tail, she was out the door and gone.

A few minutes later, a finely dressed Blue Cybunny made her way into our building, "I would presume it was your companion who was talking all over the boards?" she asked primly.

"Uh, yes Ma'am," I said, hitching myself up higher on my paws and trying to look professional.

"Well... I do not normally do this, but since I seem to have some time on my hands, I suppose I can play your little game."

Game? I blinked but tried not to look thrown by her odd wording.

"Okay. Did Twilight explain to you exactly what we do?" I asked, pulling out one of the forms Migga had written up.

"She said that you... consult... customers on fashion and... the Battledome," the Cybunny looked as though she had bitten into an unsweetened lemon.

"That's right. We just need you to fill out this form and then we can begin," I handed the form to her and a Blue Pencil with Eraser.

Suspicion slid behind her blue eyes and she gave me a level stare before accepting both and walking over to a table to fill it out.

"What was that about?" I whispered to Shade.

"She probably suspects the form will insist on her password or something," Shade whispered back.

Oh.

Why the heck would I want that?

Oh.

Guess I just don't have the mind of a con artist, to be that slow on the uptake.

The Cybunny seemed to be much faster than I was; she was reading and re-reading the questions on her form, to all appearances checking to see if we had snuck that taboo question in there somewhere. Finally she handed it in.

"All right, thank you Miss..." I quickly checked the name, "ElenoreHues. It looks like everything is in order. So just to double check with you, you'd like to consult Depth about a species of petpet and a fashionable color for yourself?"

At the Cybunny's nod, I led her over to Depth's desk and had her sit down before taking a seat off to the side myself.

Depth smiled warmly across the desk. "I hope you won't mind, but I'm going to ask Dusk to sit next to me while we work this out; just to make sure that this goes smoothly."

At Elenore's nod, we began.

"Okay, so you are looking for a paint Brush that keeps with your blue motif. That's simple enough." Depth pulled out a binder she had made with pictures of all the available pet colors, and an even larger portion of the binder held pictures of every available petpet color as well. "To keep with the Blue motif, you can either stay Blue as you are, or we can find you a Starry, Electric, or Cloud Paint Brush. Now," Depth held up a hoof to forestall a decision, "before you say for absolute certain, let's see how petpets match up to you."

I watched in amazement as Depth set up the pictures of Elenore's choices and lined up petpets next to them to see how they matched up. Elenore was able to sweep through them all and remove the petpets she didn't like the look of. In minutes we were down to the finalists. She ultimately eliminated the Electric look, finding it a bit too dazzling and flashy. She knew for certain that she wanted to give up her Blue look for one of the others so that too was soon eliminated.

Finally it was decision time. ElenoreHues could either be Cloud with a Cloud Eizzil, or Starry with a Blue Dua. Her eyes flicked back and forth, before finally settling on the Cloud look and the matching Eizzil.

Next came a list of makeup and grooming products that would match Elenore's new look. Elenore elected to buy the grooming stuff herself, but was intrigued by the idea that we could get the petpet and paint brush for her for a small fee.

Twilight did a quick search and brought Elenore a total; for four hundred ninety thousand, we would have the paint brush and petpet waiting in the Trading Post.

That evening, we celebrated our first successful sale. Our very first customer was both pleased and impressed with us, and we had a business that would blow our competition away.

"Even better," Migga proclaimed over a steaming Starberry Pizza Slice, "We now have... what is it again? 'Word of mouth' from a real customer. She will tell all her friends. And they will come. Then they will tell all of their friends."

We chattered happily over our meal, pleased at the start of our very own business.

Class time seemed to fly past and soon we made the trip down to Brightvale for our second day open. We got three customers that day; friends of Elenore we assumed. The lot of them were mostly snooty at the beginning but they all warmed up quickly at the novel idea of our business.

So far Shade wasn't getting any business, since these were all rich and appearance oriented customers. But he satisfied himself with sitting in on meetings and listening to how things went on both sides of the desk.

On the third day, Shade got his first customer.

His name was Praxio and he wanted Shade's opinion on weapons. Praxio wasn't rich enough to shop at the Hidden Tower, but he was willing to spend a few hundred thousand on a good set of weapons. Soon enough he was on his way out the door cheerfully clutching a list of weapons and a handful of notes on battle strategy.

At the end of our first week we had built a nice list of satisfied customers and a few had more than happily submitted written testimonies giving their compliments. I was only too happy to add those to my binder for our project.

The weekend came with its own fur raising experience. Even the normally bubbly Migga seemed to be taken aback by the Tuskaninny with cold, piercing eyes and the Lenny with an endlessly scribbling pencil. They walked in our front door, setting off the merrily jingle of the bells we managed to afford from our first profits.

Migga trotted forward immediately, a warm greeting all but bursting out of her mouth despite the way the Tuskaninny was looking her up and down like a particularly detestable weed in an otherwise perfect Neogarden.

"Welcome to Research Inc," Migga greeted them, resisting the urge to smile at the Lenny's wry glance and the Tuskaninny's puckered expression. "How may I help you?"

The Tuskaninny huffed impatiently. "I am attending a ball that my Guild is hosting. I need a new Paint job as well as a matching petpet and a weapon that is both highly expensive as well as powerful. They will be my submission to my guild to prove I am appropriately wealthy."

Migga nodded as if the crisp, indifferent tone was a warm invitation to friendship. "Then I think we can get you started right away," she said cheerfully shaking her mane.

I stepped forward and offered a pencil and one of our forms, trying not to flinch when they were snatched out of my paw and then held as though they were dried pieces of petpet dung.

I couldn't help but lay back my ears, feeling insulted the way the Tuskaninny was acting like I had some sort of plague. True, our forms had changed due to illnesses way back in ancient history, but we were all healthy now thanks to the kindly faerie at the Healing springs. You can't get sick just from touching something we'd touched.

I half slunk back as the two turned and shared a long, critical look at the forms before muttering back and forth in tones too low to be heard.

I didn't like this. I really, really, really didn't like this. This went beyond a snotty rich Neopet. It was like... I was half terrified that if I said something the wrong way, I would get in some sort of deep trouble without even knowing what I did or said wrong.

A warm cheek pressed reassuringly against mine and I closed my eyes for a few seconds, accepting my best friend's wordless comfort. She couldn't exactly put a hoof on my shoulder or hug me, but this was close enough.

Finally with a rattle, the form was thrust gruffly back at me and I had to snatch it up before it fell to the floor. I did a quick check to see what our guest wanted.

1. Name: Mielee371785

2. Species: Tuskaninny

3. Gender: Female

4. Do you want to be painted? Yes

4a. If Yes, what are your choices? Camouflage or Faerie

5. Do you want a Petpet? Yes

5a. Do you want the Petpet to be painted too? Yes

5b. If Yes, what are your choices? Erisim, Gallion or Niptor

5c. Are you afraid of, or allergic to, any petpets? No

5d. What kind of petpet do you want? (Playful, obedient, etc): Obedient. Don't care otherwise.

6. Do you want to be morphed into a new species? No

6a. Are you afraid of, or allergic to, any Species of Neopet? No

7. Would you like us to recommend any grooming supplies that would match your chosen color? No

7a. Are you allergic to any grooming products? No

8. Do you plan on entering the Battledome any time in the future? No

8a. Would you like us to recommend some useful Attack and Defense items? Yes

9. If you are undecided about any of your options, or would like to supply the information for reference, please write out a summary of your personality and particular likes and dislikes. We respect privacy and we will not use any of your information to embarrass or offend you in any way.

What kind of question is this?! Oh very well... I like things that are both practical as well as fashionable. Fashionable is no good if you can't do anything with it and you cannot do something properly and be sloppy at the same time.

Hmm. Brief but that wasn't too terribly bad of a summary. She had a level headed way of looking at things. It got her brownie points in my opinion, because she was likely going to listen when we gave advice about something. Still, the straight stare she was giving me and the way the Lenny, who hadn't yet said a word to anyone else, was half perching with his pen over his notebook like a proclamation of doom, made my tail frizzle out.

"Right. Um, can I call you Mielee?"

She gave a very short nod and I continued, "It looks like all the paperwork is in order. Why don't you come to Depth's desk and we'll have you sort through the petpets of your choice?"

I made it a question since I doubted she'd put up with anything less.

Stone faced, she made her way over to Depth's desk. The Peophin in question looked like she was bracing herself for a rather grim session.

The Tuskaninny spoke in short, crisp words, fairly quickly nixing the Erisim once she saw what it looked like.

"I don't want something dragging its backside around inside my Neomansion."

I bit my tongue. Considering that's how Peophins, Flotsams, Jetsams and heck, even Tuskaninnies got around, it didn't really make sense to quibble about a petpet doing the same thing. Whatever. The customer knows what they want and all that.

Shade and Twilight shared a resigned look, knowing they too would have to deal with this... hypocrite. Eventually Mielee nixed the Gallion, apparently preferring something that pattered around delicately on two legs rather than prancing properly on four. I just couldn't help but wonder how her Owner put up with her.

After further debate on a Camouflage paint job and a Disco Niptor, or a Faerie Paint Job and an Island Niptor, she settled on the Faerie/Island idea.

Then on to Shade. After another hour – the entire time consumed with Mielee doing just about everything possible to annoy the wings off the poor Lupe's back – she decided she wanted a Portable Kiln and a Sword of the Air Faerie. The Lenny scribbled incessantly in his notebook the entire time and I briefly considered offering to put a brand new notebook in on the deal should he ever run out of pages to write in.

Finally... FINALLY, the duo was finished and out the door.

Shade, Depth and I were grinding our teeth with the effort of not kicking something. Twilight and Migga stepped back through the front doors – I hadn't even seen them slip out – carrying sacks of something that let off heavenly smells. Food. My stomach immediately went on a growling rampage to tell me just how unhappy it was with me.

Tentative and almost overcompensating in politeness, Twilight handed over a pawful of napkins and a paper plate to the three of us while Migga began hauling out boxes of food. We didn't say anything until we'd all gotten the soothing comfort of food into our bellies.

Finally Twilight cleared her throat, "Erm, Dusk... now that we've gotten our, uh, customer's wants on a list, why don't you come with me to the Trading Post and check out how I go about getting the supplies? That way you could write it properly in the report."

"We need some stuff from the Island too," Depth admitted. "I want to change the store front's display to an Island theme. We need shells, kelp, palm fronds and maybe a little sand to sprinkle around."

"I could use a little fresh air anyway," I admitted agreeably. The thought of steady warmth and the rush of water over my paws was very appealing at the moment.

Of course, it was going to be a bit of a trek to get there. Fortunately King Hagan's smarts were more than reputation. Brightvale was in fairly easy reach of the ocean and he had made sure to build a harbor, which had a hustle and bustle of ships day in and day out. Even boarding a ferry was easy; one came and went just about every hour. The downside was simply that Mystery Island was a long boat ride away and we most likely wouldn't get back before evening had settled.

Migga, ever the one to look out for us, stuffed some leftovers in my backpack, "For the trip," and checked with everyone else to make sure we had a list of absolutely everything we would need to pick up.

With a final Until we meet again, in Tyrannian, we were on our way.


	4. Chapter 4

I couldn't help hanging out at the rails, watching the sea and wildlife sweep past beneath me. All my traveling over the summer hadn't completely taken care of my hunger for things that were fascinating and new. And the warm, brisk sea breeze refreshed me like nothing else could have.

Twilight simply complained in an undertone about the brightness of everything and ducked into the shade.

Several tourists stared openly at us and some didn't work very hard to conceal a level of hostility. Several protective grownups, both Neopian and Human, gripped their children and pets firmly and guided them to 'safer' spots on the boat.

I felt a small sting somewhere in my chest, but only for a moment. Then a Flotsam exploded to the surface, did a forward flip and plunged back underwater; leaving only the warm spray of water behind her flipping tail. Pleasure sang through me again as a group of them raced past my position to ride the waves that the front of the boat made while cutting through the ocean.

Several tourists were exclaiming excitedly and sprinting past to snap pictures of the playful Neopets. I smiled. Let them have their fun. It's one thing to take pictures from above as they race along, keeping pace. It's another to have one leap up right in front of you, close enough to catch the gleam of a merry eye and feel the spray of water from her flippers.

Mystery Island, one I can only guess was a 'mystery' because of all the jungle hiding most of it, is as hot as Tyrannia... and extremely humid. Twilight hid behind incredibly dark glasses and hopped off the boat.

I followed, breathing in the perfumed air hungrily. Exotic plants. Intoxicating flowers. Fragrant fruits. The tang of sea salt and seaweed. The hush of waves over sand. If I had been a Lupe I would have taken off right then and there, letting my nose drag me off to whatever discoveries it would dredge up.

As it was, Twilight actually had to come back and pull me along to get to the path leading to the Trading Post. "Come on, Dusk! Look, I know you got to go all over during the summer and the sun doesn't bother you so much, but I'm still not used to this bright light."

I couldn't blame her, and I could see her eyes were starting to water from the sun reflecting on the white sand.

We ambled along, and I did my best not to hold my classmate back, but it's so hard not to gawp like a tourist when you take a few steps and find yourself looking at a bright Jewel Blossom bigger than your head. Or have a butterfly the size of a dinner plate land on your nose... which itches like crazy, by the way...

Still we arrived at the Trading Post in good time and Twilight began searching for a Faerie Paint Brush and an Island Niptor. Remembering that I was the one writing the report for the entire group's efforts, I scribbled notes like crazy. On her part, Twilight immediately perked up in the shade of the Hut where we were searching for items. She was in her element; hunting for items and getting the biggest results for her coins.

Twilight checked the asking prices for the Faerie Paint Brush, and then did a quick lookup to make sure the User hadn't been offline for the whole week or anything.

"Okay," Twilight glanced at me to make sure I was paying attention, "the cheapest Faerie Paint Brush is one million, seven hundred thousand Neopoints. We can't afford to go chasing items to offer, so what I do is Neomail the User for a Neofriends Only auction so I can pay pure. This is usually the best way since most people like pure anyway."

I waited while Twilight made the Neomail and sent it off.

"Next, we look up 'Island Niptor' and see what comes up."

But that turned out to be a dead end, there weren't any Island Niptors up for trade.

"Ahh, don't get down," Twilight reassured me cheerfully. "That happens sometimes. So we just buy the paint brush and the Niptor separately."

Soon we had an Island Petpet Paint brush, worth about one hundred eighty thousand Neopoints, and a rather nasty little monster known as a Niptor, worth ninety five thousand Neopoints. The petpet made some rather loud spitting and snarling noises at us at first, and then just settled for a long drawn out hiss when it realized it couldn't nip us from its carrier.

Twilight sighed irritably as she snagged the carrier by its handle – hisssssss – and turned away from the huts toward the jungle, trying not to jostle – grrrrrrrrrr – the travel cage too much – rrrrowr — and make the creature any more noisy than it already was.

Silently I thanked my lucky star, lucky faerie, and lucky charm that Obsidian was back in Brightvale with Migga. Darigan knew what kind of roar fest there would be with the two of them snarling petpet insults back and forth at each other.

As it was, Twilight yelped a few times as the petpet thrust a clawed paw through the bars and took a swipe at her hands. Between the ruckus the Niptor was making and the somewhat poorly marked paths we were trying to follow without getting blood drawn, it took us quite a while before we realized that we weren't on the main path back to the dock.

"Hmm, maybe we should go back to that last – Ouch!" Twilight complained, "Why you nasty little... KNOCK IT OFF!" She smacked the top of the carrier sharply in combination with her angry snap. The carrier made a sharp 'whack' sound and the startled petpet fell silent.

"Thank you. If you would just stop being such a mean biter, I would have let you get some exercise, but noooo, you had to cop an attitude, so you know what? You can stay in there for a while!" I hid a smile as my classmate scolded the petpet like a misbehaving child.

The little creature cocked its head at her for a moment, either wondering what the strange Neopet was jabbering about, or actually considering the strange concept of 'how I behave affects what I get?'

In the blessed silence, I looked around in the deepening shadows. "Okay, there was a sign about five minutes walk back that way." I jabbed a paw in the proper direction. "I'm not afraid of the nighttime, but darkness does make it harder to read signs."

Twilight nodded in agreement and we turned around to retrace our steps. The Niptor remained quiet for the whole five minutes and didn't even try to bite one of us when we got too close.

Luck however, seemed as flighty as a leaf in autumn winds; the signs pointed in four different directions and the writing had faded away to practically nothing in the tropical weather.

"You two are lost, ya?"

I jumped and Twilight gave a muffled yelp. Even the Niptor gave a piercing whistle of surprise.

I turned around and saw an enormous Island Skeith standing on one of the pathways leading into the deepening darkness. The plants seemed to cast a sinister shadow on his features. I swallowed hard. He was a stranger, and he was bigger than either of us. But we were lost, and he could be our best hope to getting home before the last ferry took off for the mainland.

"Ah, yes, I think we've gone a little astray. Do you know the nearest path to the docks?" I managed to ask this without too much trembling in my voice.

The sinister face suddenly split into a boyish grin that changed his entire demeanor. "Ooh, you're in luck. The path, it is quite close to here. You follow, I'll get you there safely, ya?"

"Th-Thank you," Twilight managed.

As we followed the Skeith along a new path, the shadows seemed to glide along his hide; sometimes sinister, sometimes simply there.

"I appreciate your help," I offered by way of conversation as we continued walking and the first tang of the ocean came to my nose.

"Ahh, it's all good. People say this Island is very big, but if you follow the beach, it all eventually comes around, and around and around again." His voice was cheerful.

"Ooh, the finger point rule," I said, catching on.

He glanced at me curiously.

"See," I moved up so I could walk next to him, "all you do comes back to you more. Pretend you want to show me where food is."

He immediately pointed to a tree where ripening fruit was hanging.

"Okay, now hold it. Look at your paw. Only one finger points at the food. Where do the rest of your fingers point back to?"

He glanced down in surprise and pleasure. "They point back to me."

"So one finger points to help, but even more fingers will come back to you." I held back from mentioning the other side of that statement. A finger pointed in anger or accusation also sent several fingers straight back at the accuser. No need to spoil the delighted expression on the friendly fellow's face.

"Very good analogy," he agreed happily, and banged a powerful hip against the fruit tree in question. "Then let me feed three of you food, for my own return in the future." Several shaken Doughnutfruits plummeted down into his deft paws, which caught each one as they came down.

He passed them around and I couldn't help but purr at the delicious smell wafting up from the treat in my paws. Ever helpful, the Skeith split a Doughnutfruit into pieces and passed then through the bars to the Niptor.

Either he got the idea that behaving was in his best interest or he was simply too hungry to bite fingers over food. The Niptor accepted the food without a snap or even a hiss.

"We're close. You're good company, but we may want to hurry if you want to catch the last ferry back," the Skeith continued as we started walking again, with a slightly quicker pace.

"Oh yes, we have someone who will want to buy the things we got at the Trading Post soon," Twilight agreed, swallowing the last crumb of her snack.

"Augh!" I exclaimed, clutching my head, "The Island stuff! We haven't gotten the supplies for the display yet!"

"What do you need?" the Skeith asked immediately.

"Sand, palm fronds, shells... any old ones will do... and kelp." I ticked them off worriedly.

"Is not a problem. You just breathe easy, ya? Those things are practically free and you can pick them right up on the beach." Even as he spoke, we rounded a bend and found ourselves just a few feet from the dock.

Moving with a speed I didn't think possible for such a big fellow, our guide bounded across the sand, scooping up some kelp from the shore.

I shoveled several pawfulls of sand into a small container while Twilight set down the carrier and bounded about, snatching up shells strewn about.

"Here," the Skeith said suddenly. "This should be plenty for you."

I save a small 'oof' as the Skeith handed over a small armful – which was a LOT by my standards – of items for us.

"I -"

The boat gave a resounding blast at the docks, followed by the shout of "All boarding for the final ferry to Brightvale!"

"Ack... I... Thank you very much," I said warmly to the friendly native. "You really helped us out."

"It all comes around," he replied, with equal warmth. "Now hurry, you do not want to miss your ride home."

We waved goodbye to him from the rails and continued until the boat pulled away from the shore and the island was lost to the evening darkness.

"You know, we never did ask him for his name," Twilight said, absently anchoring the petpet carrier on the deck with a foot.

"Somehow, I don't think that was the important part of our meeting." I smiled back.


	5. Chapter 5

Our shop was closed for the night when we got home. But that wasn't a real issue; we had a key and were able to get inside and set our stuff down. Twilight decided to risk letting the Niptor out to stretch his legs within the building.

Migga, who had stayed behind to greet us, set up a food and water dish in a corner and a petpet litter tray, which the little fellow visited in turns before turning around to regard us all.

Obsidian, lying across Migga's broad shoulders, eyed the two legged intruder for a moment, then hopped lightly down to sniff noses and introduce himself in the usual petpet manner.

Both Twilight and I watched warily. Both petpets had their share of sharp teeth and claws, and jealousy generally led to fights. The pair sniffed and circled one another briefly. Then the Niptor snorted delicately and pattered off to investigate the mysterious depths under the nearest desk. Obsidian yawned and began to wash behind an ear with a paw.

I let out a breath. Maybe Twilight got through to the fellow when she told him to behave. That was better than trying to separate two snarling, biting animals.

"He seems quite smart," Migga said carefully, observing the Niptor, who was currently investigating a desk drawer, sliding it open... and closed... and open again. "He plays with it, finds out how it works and gets used to using it before going on."

I nodded. "I think petpets are smarter than we give them credit for. Even Obsidian can figure out how to do something after messing with it for a while."

"Of course," Shade said, retrieving a pen from the petpet's gnawing jaws, "that makes them a bit of a handful. They can end up in trouble if they get something poisonous or sharp."

"You're thinking of getting a petpet too, aren't you, Migga?" Depth guessed, mildly amused as she herded the petpet into his crate for the night.

"Well, Dusk got a Tyrannian petpet when she visited. It would only be fair to get a Darigan petpet for myself."

My ears sank a little. Oh sure we had a Petpet Arena, but...

"Ah... we don't have any petpet shops at home," Depth voiced my disappointing news herself. "Y'see... Nobody wants a Darigan citizen to torment helpless, homeless petpets. The only reason any of us get one is if we go to another land to get one and bring it all the way back."

Migga's mouth fell open, rendered speechless for the first time by a prejudice against our people, "I... you... please tell me you are kidding," she finally managed to force the words out in a rather strangled voice.

Everyone's ears drooped.

"Migga, sweetie, you remember how our people went through wars...?" I tried to put it into words.

"We went through a war," Migga replied flatly, her warm gaze now flashing angrily.

"Ah, yes, well," Shade tried awkwardly, "when you seem to be on the bad side of a fight... you tend to be blamed just for living there."

"There is no bad side of a fight but the fight itself!" Migga tossed her mane angrily, her Tyrannian accent starting to break through her Common Neopian. "Even if you are in the wrong it does not make you evil!"

I smiled softly, if a little pained at the horror and confusion on Migga's face. We were all braced for the reality of how we were treated; we expected it, we were prepared for it, and we knew how to let hateful remarks roll off like water on a Mallard's back. Even if we weren't exactly the warmest people to get close to, we knew how to handle it.

Migga... in this sense, she had been incredibly sheltered in her home. Even if others thought of her people as primitive, her people weren't shunned like ours. And the thought of prejudice as terrible as this wounded the very heart of Migga's beliefs.

"Migga," I finally said, as Migga sat down with a hard thump in the face of this reality, "it's... not totally what we did that made us distrusted."

Migga looked up at me, confusion and hurt for our sake in her eyes, but she was listening.

Slowly, I explained to her what had happened. How we had owned an orb that made our people happy and prosperous. How King Skarl's troops had seen what the orb did and stole it to bring happiness to their own people. How the orb then revealed its terrible bad side. Without the orb, sickness had ravaged our people and twisted our forms into darkness and the embodiment of fear.

"The Orb didn't just poof happiness out of nowhere," Twilight told our friend softly. "It stole happiness and health from someone else, and made them all sick while it gave the stolen joy to someone else. No matter who had the thing, there was always someone else who suffered because of it."

"At the time, we were so desperate to have it back, we didn't see the hidden trap the orb held," I continued. "But by then it was far too late. Our people were sick and transformed with foreign germs. No one could safely approach us without getting sick too. Not only did we look evil, but we made everyone around us suffer just by being nearby."

"But you're not sick now!" Migga protested, staring each one of us in the eyes.

"That's true," Shade agreed, "but we still have the forms that the sickness gave us. The paint brush that we sell only changes the looks of others. But real Darigan citizens got that way by illness. Everyone is afraid that even though we are healthy, we may still carry the original sickness inside us. People are afraid we'll somehow spread the germs and are afraid to set up shops with living creatures."

"But I'm here. I'm healthy. And Dusk went to my home and met with all of the Tyrannian people! None of us got sick! Even if you're used to being treated this way, it doesn't make it right!" Migga sprang up and paced in frustration, not quite daring to stomp her powerful hoof into the floor for fear of breaking through.

We all shared a sad glance.

"Anyway," Depth decided to switch the topics, "Did you perhaps want a Meridell petpet? We usually go to Meridell for all our petpet needs anyway, and just paint them dark colors so they fit in."

Migga looked ready to argue that she wanted a Darigan petpet, not a Meridell one, and then finally exhaled with a weary whicker. This wasn't something she could fix by arguing, "Yes... Maybe tomorrow after a good night's sleep, we can look through your binder, Depth."

As we all made our way back up to the Citadel and our homes, I smiled at my friend. "Listen, Migga, I know it sounds like a terrible thing we face... but that's why we go to other worlds."

I could hardly believe that I was putting into words something that I had learned, at least subconsciously, in my travels. I could almost forgive that idiot of a principal for dropping me into such a frightening situation as he had. I was actually starting to get the ideas behind some of his reasons for booting us all out into the wide world.

"You can't change something by arguing about it," I told her as we made our way through the darkened streets, "You have to teach it to them. Students went to all kinds of worlds to learn about them. But at the same time, they also taught the other people about us. We were able to start showing people that we aren't as spooky as we seem."

We slipped into our shared home and got ready for bed.

Hesitantly Migga spoke up. "So... just by being here and learning about your people, I am going to be able to teach everyone else and make changes that way?"

"Just like going to an extraordinary, hot, wonderful world and meeting a strange Uni helped me teach and change my own classroom," I agreed with a smile.

The next day, Mielee showed up on our doorstep even as we unlocked the door that afternoon after class. A trip to the Trading Post later, we all toasted the success of another satisfied customer. Even Mielee didn't scowl quite so sourly when Twilight introduced the freshly painted Niptor to his new owner.

As a lull came to our store, Migga and Depth sat next to each other and began going over the possibilities for a petpet. Curious to see what our Tyrannian friend would pick, we all clustered around to listen in.

"I don't really care what it looks like," Migga admitted, "I just want a friend that will be able to live with me in my own land," here she shot an apologetic glance at me.

I shrugged and smiled. No apologies were needed of course. Friends that we were, we still had different places to call home.

Depth nodded. "Okay, so 'fashionable' put aside for the moment; what kinds of things to you do in Tyrannia? Do you run and jump a lot? Climb? Anything that may not work out for something like, say a Turtum?" She flipped through the pages and showed Migga a picture.

"Oh... no, I don't think a Turtum would be a good idea. My legs are long and when I gallop, it would be impossible for a shelled creature to keep up with me." Migga paused and thought carefully. "My land is hot and dry, so nothing that needs to be always by water. Nothing Robot because of dust. Nothing dark colored because of the heat. Something that can run or fly to keep up..."

One by one petpets were taken off of the list. When it came down to a contest between a Dragoyle, a Wibreth, or a Gallion, we had to delve even deeper; we checked into the personalities that went with the creatures. Ultimately the Wibreth was taken off due to its extremely noisy nature.

After much consideration, Migga reluctantly let the Dragoyle go. They were very affectionate creatures and Migga didn't have soft paws to constantly pet and caress them.

"Okay Migga; a Gallion. Now... what color? Regular, Island, White, Faerie or... Tyrannian?" Depth lined up the colors so Migga could compare them.

She smiled at the Tyrannian, but gently whisked the image aside. "Too shaggy, and believe me I know all about it. Besides, if it went wandering I'd never find it among our brown rocks."

Likewise went Regular.

"Three left... Island, White or Faerie."

My ears perked eagerly. Personally, I liked the Faerie Gallion, and its wings were big enough to fly as well as run, so the best of both worlds. But I kept quiet; this was Migga's decision.

Migga's eyes flicked over the pictures one after another. Finally, she smiled and touched the Faerie Gallion image with the tip of her horn. "I'd like a Faerie Gallion please."

I smiled. "Come on, Migga, let's go find someone who raises Gallions."

"You know... something has me puzzled," Migga said as we checked around Meridell. "You got your Gruslen from someone who spends a lot of time raising them. And now we are searching for someone who does the same with Gallions. But our customers all get their pets from the Trading Post. Isn't that... uhm... 'playing favorites'?"

I smiled. "Not at all. Item 5d on our form asks the customer what they want. You can always tell who wants a companion and who wants a status symbol. You want the Gallion to be a friend. That means you need to take time to pick one, and you can only pick your perfect petpet by talking to someone who knows all about them. If you only wanted one for show, you wouldn't care what the personality was, so we would just grab one from the Trading Post."

After some careful checking of notices posted around – pointedly ignoring the sour looks we were getting from the Meridell natives – we finally found an Acara who had a number of the little fellows romping around in the front yard.

"And why would you be interested in a Gallion?" he asked suspiciously when we made our way over.

And so it began. Migga politely answered several questions that the suspicious Meridellian fired off and then turned the tables and asked some of her own pointed questions. This brought a surprised but somewhat pleased atmosphere to the interview. I occupied myself with shooting a small ball like a marble across the yard and laughing when several of the little dragons charged after it and pounced on it in a Lupe-pile.

Then Migga asked to be introduced to the parents of the new little Gallions. I gave a faint nod of satisfaction; if the parents were friendly, then the babies would be too. It was always a warning in my book when someone said the parents were a 'little nippy', which in turn meant the babies would have behavior problems.

At a gesture from Migga's horn, I left off playing with the horde of petpets in the yard and followed them into the house. In a quieter corner, a Gallion nestled in a basket with three little ones.

"Where is the father?" Migga asked, casting a glance around the room.

"Ah, I don't own him, but he's a champion in the Agility and Obedience League we run here every fall. In fact, his sire and grandsire all won awards." The Acara was warming up quickly to the subject and was more than willing to tell us about his petpets.

Good. A Champion was always healthy and well rounded. It was a shame not to meet the sire, but that wasn't really a surprise or even a bad mark in the Acara's tally.

I smiled and softly stroked the mother Gallion, earning a little rumble of pleasure. She was a sweet thing, and not at all intimidated by Migga's massive build when she came over to check out the babies for herself.

Since Migga didn't have the paws to perform the personality test, I did it myself. Judging the reactions carefully, I selected a fellow from the pile and held him up for Migga to meet.

The tiny dragon gave a soft "Bwarr" and reached up with a paw to curiously paw at Migga's velvety nose.

Migga whickered softly in response and I set the Gallion down.

He promptly ambled over to the Uni, peering up at her – to him – great height and twining around her legs. She stood still carefully, letting him get used to her legs. He would have to learn to stay away from those hard, heavy hooves in the future, but for now we just needed to see how the two would get along.

"I saw you testing the babies," the Acara said softly to me as we watched the two investigate each other.

"I bought a Gruslen from a breeder," I told him, smiling as Migga lay down and let the little dragon climb aboard. "She taught me how to test petpets properly."

"If all you did today was learned from the breeder, then your Gruslen must be a good one." He teased one of his ears thoughtfully. "Never thought I'd be convinced a Darigan Neopet would be a good owner for my Gallions."

"Mmm. I guess all those rumors that must be circulating are wrong." I was careful not to sound sarcastic as Migga burst into laughter as the Gallion climbed on top of her head and peered around, little paws hooked around her ears for balance. "Honestly, I hope we get petpets of our own one of these days."

"Could be, if the others are as joyful as the two of you."

I simply smiled mysteriously, not letting on that Migga wasn't even a Darigan Citizen.

"By the way... you planning on painting him?" the Acara asked Migga after he seemed satisfied with the two interacting.

"I was planning on Painting him faerie, if I proved myself to you," she admitted, turning her attention to the breeder.

"Do it young," he advised, "That way he gets used to the wings and learns to fly before he gets afraid of heights."

Migga nodded solemnly.

Eventually we convinced the Acara that Migga was perfect as an owner and we were on our way to the Rainbow Pool with the petpet paint brush clutched tightly between Migga's teeth.

The Gallion, who Migga had dubbed Topaz, was far too young to run the whole way so he alternated riding on Migga's back and romping alongside us on his leash. His paint job left him fascinated with the wings and he started buzzing here and there, taking off, flying a few feet and then landing with a bump and a 'whuff' before shaking off and trying it again. By the time we were home, he managed to zoom up to Migga's head and land without crashing into her horn or bonking her on the head.

Introductions were soon made to my classmates, where he had to learn how to socialize with strangers without panicking.

I was a little nervous about my own petpet. Obsidian was an adult Gruslen and even at his small stature, was bigger, stronger, heavier and faster than the little Gallion cub. At first, Obsidian glared at me with stormy amethyst eyes, accusing me of bringing this littler invader into the store. Of course, I happened to be holding Topaz's leash so jealousy might have been part of it too. My feline relaxed reluctantly when I passed the leash back to Migga once she had set down the supplies she had been carrying.

Murmuring reassurances, I walked over to my little fellow and gave him my usual warm greeting. That satisfied him completely and he promptly went over, and began their ritual petpet meet and greet.

Topaz loved attention to the point that he would hop up on our desks and sit right on top of whatever we happened to be working on. He also had a naughty habit of nipping if he felt ignored. Migga quickly began a training regime to rid him of that little habit right away.

Obsidian tolerated the bouncy youngster with resigned dignity, and seemed happiest when it was just the two of us on one of our crazy headlong runs through the darkened streets of the Citadel. And I noticed he seemed to be softening up to Topaz, at least enough to start teaching him a few rules.

Rule 1: Don't sit in the middle of the floor. Tromping feet usually came down on tails or paws. It became Obsidian's Good Deed every time he had to snatch the little Gallion up by the scruff of the neck whenever the door jangled open.

Rule 2: It's usually not smart to annoy someone who's older, bigger yadda yadda than you. I would sometimes see a mini scrap between the two of them because Topaz refused to let Obsidian relax without getting nipped somewhere tender. As much as Migga and I hated seeing the two tussling and snarling at each other, it was really the only way Topaz would learn how to behave in the petpet world.

I'm sure there were many other subtle lessons to learn, but those were the two I saw them bickering over the most. But as the somewhat hectic days passed, Topaz began to grow and learn into a much better behaved, if insanely energetic young Gallion.


	6. Chapter 6

Our customers ranged all over the personality spectrum; sometimes we could laugh and talk with our customers and other times we would just grin and bear it until the door closed behind the customer with a bad tempered slam. There were customers who laughed and joked with us. There were customers who seemed to think it was their greatest duty to take out their worst days on us. There were snobby pets who thought us on the bottom rung of the ladder and ordered us about like servants. There were pets who treated us with the same respect you would give a wise and beloved grandparent.

And through it all, we did our best to satisfy them as much as we could. Our business was beginning to pick up as word spread around, customers came and went, and the Neopoints began to flow in. We quickly paid off our "loan" to the school, and soon got a Neopian Bank account set up to hold the surplus. Our next task was to change our business to "By Appointment Only", which quickly booked all the way out to months in advance. This presented a small problem that I found myself chewing over during our free time. Our business was so popular that the appointments were nearing the end of the school year.

What would we do when the time came? Technically this business we made was only a school project and we didn't have to keep it running once we turned in our Final Project. I was pretty sure the other students would shut down their projects as soon as they had the chance.

I watched as Migga laughed along with our last customer before the lunch break and felt another pang. Our group loved Migga; she was a warm and friendly presence that made the place homey while at the same time acting as a manager to keep the place in working order. Migga's Transfer Student session would expire at the end of the year, and she would go back to Tyrannia.

My musings, and my BBQ Pork, were interrupted by the knocking of a Mail Lupe on our store door. A very official looking Neomail was handed over to me.

"From: Neopian Office of Business Investigation" the outside read.

I swallowed hard, feeling my heart sink into my paws. What had we done?

"Whoa," Shade exclaimed, and bounded over to fan me with his wings, "Easy there kitty whiskers, let's see what it has to say before we panic."

We all sort clustered close together as I ripped open the envelope and began to read.

"To whom it may concern,

Due to the unusual circumstances of your business, several concerned Neopians requested an investigation of your work to feel assured that no scamming and/or inappropriate behavior was being conducted within the walls of your shop. After a thorough investigation, involving a secret shopper and an interview with King Hagan himself, we have come to the conclusion that though your business is unusual and perhaps entirely unique in the Neopian world, Research Inc. is officially a legitimate business!"

Everyone let out a ragged cheer.

"We further conclude that while no one specific product is being marketed; product-by-request is obtained though appropriate means. In all manners from the shop cleanliness to the product availability, Research Inc. meets all the standards set by the NOBI constitution. All Petpets acquired are in good health and properly tended to. All items included are in excellent shape with no tampering or falsifying. Though concern was expressed in regard to the shopkeepers' origins..."

Migga snorted and pawed irritably.

"...all students were in proper health and quite professional despite their young age. We at NOBI would like to offer congratulations to Dusk, Shade, Twilight, and Depth of the Darigan Citadel as well as Migga of Tyrannia. Research Inc gets our Stamp of Approval!"

I turned and hugged Migga happily. "You see, Migga? We're teaching them!"

"Wow," Shade commented, I think we need to... er... change our tactics and quick."

We all glanced at him.

"NOBI approved us as an official business; our store will be officially announced in the News. That means word is going to spread like crazy. THAT means we're gonna have to filter our customers big time. Absolutely no one from straight off the street; all appointments."

"What about our school project?" I asked, voicing my fears for the first time. I told them everything that had run through my mind.

Migga smiled. "I can ask for another year in my studies to be in your home. And once I graduate, it won't be a problem."

"And we all don't have to work at one time," Depth advised. "We all have customers, and we can make appointments to let us have days off and vacations. If this turns out to be as successful as I think it is, we almost can't afford to close down."

Things were quite a flurry after that. Work shot through the roof and we were soon booked far through the summer months.

Our front of store display went through several changes. Our Island theme stayed up for an extra week; ahem someone anonymously donated several brightly colored tropical flowers to add to the decorations we had already collected and we felt we owed our donor the extra time to show off the beauty. Then we rolled through Faerieland, Maraqua, Terror Mountain, the Haunted Woods and the Lost Desert themes.

Today, I was making a trip to Neopia Central for the latest display. The place was a bustle of activity, more so than any other world I'd visited and filled to the brim with all manner of Neopets and humans. Here and there, speckled amidst the crowd, I even got a quick flash of dark Darigan purple amongst much more brightly colored paint jobs.

I took a deep, relieved breath and darted my way through the crowd, testing my skills to the maximum and trying not to knock anyone over. Some Neopians cleared away from me with the usual uneasy suspicion, others ignored me the same way they ignored the rest of the populace. Heh. I was almost tolerated here. Thing were looking up.

I ranged here and there, gathering items that depicted places of note; a Soup Faerie Book, Water from the Rainbow Pool, a Money Tree Window, Orange Flavoured Tea (to summarize the Art Center), a Golden Symol Statue for Neovision and I even managed to borrow a NeoAuction gavel. The gavel was the hardest part; I had to show him my student ID, give him my name and list the name and address of my school. A little tired but satisfied, I settled my backpack firmly between my wings and took a leisurely stroll along the streets.

It felt wonderful to be able to walk in the open without stares and dark muttering. I mean, I'm used to it, but I certainly don't like it.

The crowds were noisy enough that I nearly missed the scuffle happening down an alley. In fact, it took the loud clatter of a falling garbage can that made me turn my head, my sharp eyes catching sight of a Buzz and an Aisha leering at a Xweetok. Even as I watched, the Acara shoved the Xweetok against a wall roughly while the Buzz rummaged through the Xweetok's pockets. The Xweetok struggled, but didn't make a sound.

My tail gave a little twitch and I turned down the alley, my silent paws picking their way through the garbage and empty Neocola cans that littered the ground. Let's see... I'm not really a fighter, so I can't just clobber the two of them.

My gaze flicked to my own dark coloring and slowly I smiled. Hmm... Maybe our reputation would come in handy after all.

Silently I slipped into the shadows and crept as close as I could without being seen. Standing just behind them, I gave a low, eerie chuckle. The scene before me froze and I slid slowly forward into the light, letting the dim light enhance my already creepy appearance.

"My, my." I spoke slowly and deliberately. I thought I was being overdramatic, but by the way the Aisha's fur frizzed out in all directions I seemed to be doing something right. "It would seem that you've come off the beaten path... just a little bit."

I sidled closer to give the impression that I was looming over them.

The Buzz turned around, looking annoyed, and then paused, his eyes darting over my powerful build and creepy looking paint job.

"Mmm... Fear..." I purred, now smiling to show every tooth in my mouth, "Such a rich bouquet." Actually the smell of their fear made my nose itch, and I tried not to sneeze.

The two bullies blanched, their victim forgotten.

"Come boys, join me for... dinner..." If possible, I grinned wider.

That clinched it. Bullies are cowards at heart, and these two were no exception. At the mention of dinner, and the implied note about them possibly being that dinner, the two turned and bolted away as fast as their legs could carry them.

I snorted scornfully and glanced down at the battered Xweetok I'd saved; this scrawny little blue thing with too much tail.

She was slowly picking herself up, checking for injuries. Occasionally she peeked up at me through her hanging bangs, then quickly looked away.

"Hey," I said softly, offering a paw, "Are you okay?"

She took it without a word, giving a hesitant nod as I gently pulled her completely to her feet.

"Why didn't you scream?" I asked, gently dusting off the slightly battered coat. "Call for help. Anything?"

She hunched her shoulders and refused to meet my eyes, but raised a paw to her throat.

A moment of confusion swept through me. Something wrong with her throat? What was in the throat that would make it hard to talk? Uh oh. The vocal cords. She didn't call for help because she couldn't.

"Oh. I guess that would make it hard, huh?" I walked by her side, shooting a warning glare at a passing Pant Devil. It blanched and went somewhere else.

Heh. Looking creepy has its perks.

I felt a tug at my arm and turned to see the mute Xweetok pointing to the candy store. I followed her lead and found myself surrounded by shelves and shelves of every hyperactive kid's dreams.

She scampered forward and rang the bell on the counter, two short and fast, and then a pause and one.

"Oh Mela, you're back early; is something wrong..." A motherly looking Xweetok bustled out of the back room, marked with smudges of flour and a smear or two of chocolate. She took one look at me and froze, her eyes wide.

Mela, I guess that was her name, scampered over and tugged me forward; I would have rather just bowed my way out.

"Uhhh, hello," I greeted the mother shyly. "Sorry for any trouble, but Mela had some problems in an alleyway. And, well, I gave her a paw."

"Ohhh dear." Mela's mother let out a long sigh and her demeanor changed from suspicious to sad and a little tired. "Poor dear, that's the third time this week. Bullies think she's a good victim because she can't call for help."

"Mm, yeah, being different isn't as cool as they try to tell us." I looked away, trying not to melt at the Baby Gelert eyes that Mela had turned full-force on me.

"Listen, thank you," Mela's mom said quietly, surprising me with a hug. "It means a lot that you'd step in and help."

"Heh, s'awright." I turned the hug awkwardly and slipped out into the streets again as soon as I politely could.

My steps were a little lighter now as I walked through the streets. Man but it felt good to help someone.

As I got back to the store with my load of items, the Mail Lupe ambled up the path, "Here you are," he said cheerfully. "Some bills for Research Inc." I winced but accepted them. "And one envelope for a Miss Dusk of Darigan Citadel."

Bewildered now, I accepted the envelope.

"Cheers!" he announced, and was on his way again.

I emptied my arms onto the counter and my classmates began sorting through the stuff I brought back. Almost hesitantly, I ripped open the envelope addressed to me and pulled out the folded piece of paper.

"Dear Dusk,

Hey girlie! Well, a new tour has begun and a new Single is out for our fans. Our offer still stands if you're interested in becoming a dancer at our concerts. We'd like to invite you to attend our premier release of our latest song, "Paint Me Black (With Flames)" and get some stage time and a little more experience. In any case, you challenged me last year; don't think I forgot! So now I challenge you Dusk! Show me your skills on that stage! Anyways, hope this finds you well,

Rock on, Rock hard,

Candon of Moehawk."

A stiff piece of paper slid into my paws and I stared down at the official invitation to the special concert, dated the fifteenth day of the month of Storing. The concert was going to coincide with the celebrations of Neopia's birthday.

I frowned thoughtfully. Last year, Moehawk's dancer had sent word that I would make a great dancer if that was what I wanted when I graduated. The problem was... I was still in school right now. That and... Research Inc took up all my time. I mean, dancing was cool, but I was pretty sure I would have to practice a lot. School in the morning and our business in the afternoon... By the end of the day I just wanted to collapse into my bed, not spend the rest of my time moving around.

I swallowed heavily and sighed, then wrote a Neomail back to Candon, expressing my regret at not being able to dance, but saying I'd love to attend.

That started a number of neomails back and forth, ultimately netting tickets for the rest of us, including Migga for a holiday home. There was no school that day of course; no student would ever sit still on that one day and no teacher wanted to be cooped up writing on chalkboards anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

The day burned bright and hot, as every day in Tyrannia always did. Migga whickered contentedly and took deep breaths of the muggy, dusty Plateau air. I wordlessly handed sunglasses to my wincing classmates and we took up seats in a nice shady spot so that no one would end up baking in the heat.

As the magical hour drew near, the buzz of the crowd grew more excited in anticipation of the new song to be released by the awesome band.

As the lights dimmed, my heart thundered eagerly for the wash of energy and fierce joy that came with thousands of screaming fans, and music that pounded straight into my heart.

"Are you ready to paaaaarrrtttyyy?!" came the rousing yell from the darkness.

The crowd roared in answer, and the music blasted, lights blazed, and the three Moehogs roared onto the scene with their instruments; revving the crowd up with some old favorites. Migga's expression was one of patient tolerance; it had been already been known that Moehawk wasn't her kind of band, but she stayed with us to enjoy her home for the holiday.

"All right," Candon finally announced to the crowd, "Now you don't know this song, but you will soon enough. How many of you are painted fire out there?"

Scattered cheers responded.

"All right, not many, but this song's for all of you wearing dark colors. Fire, Shadow... or..." he gave the first five rows a heart melting smile, "Darigan."

My classmates and I cheered loudly and I caught Candon's quick glance and triumphant grin as he finally noticed us, "This song is for you... I'm Painted Black (With Flames)."

The entire crowd quieted down, eagerly listening to the soft beginning strains of music. This felt a bit different from the hard, fast paced music they usually played. As I listened, I was started to realize it was a love song, but not one of those sappy romantic songs. It was gritty, realistic and determined to show that no matter how dark the guy seemed, he well and truly cared for his special someone and wanted to share those feelings.

To my surprise

The Darkness slides nigh

But deep inside

I know I'm flamin'

Feel my soul now,

A raging inferno

They say there is no dark

Without the light

So let me show you

I'm painted black

With flames

I'm Painted black

Just feel my heartbeat

It burns with a deafening light

Burning straight into your soul

I'm painted black

And brighter than ever

So take my hand

Take this flame

Never let it go

For in your heart my light will grow

I'll share with you my secrets

I'll share with you my light

I want to show you all of me

What eyes never see,

What only hearts can feel

I'm painted black

With flames

I'm painted black

Just feel my heartbeat

It burns with a deafening light

Burning straight into your soul

I'm painted black

And brighter than ever

When the song ended, the entire crowd screamed their approval. We cheered and clapped right along, pleased to hear a song that didn't make the darkness into something evil. Even Migga nodded her approval.

"How dreamy," sighed a Cybunny at my side, and I refrained from rolling my eyes. "I'll bet there's something to those tall dark and handsome boys."

Shade winced and hid behind Twilight's large Darigan Zafara wings as girls began looking speculatively around them.

"Somebody's afraid of girls." I smiled.

"A pack of babbling, cooing, lovesick girls," Shade retorted, ducking when a Faerie Ixi looked in his direction. "They have cooties, and I don't mean the petpetpets."

"So what am I? A Doglefox?" Twilight demanded, putting her hands on her hips and half folded her wings, threatening to expose him to the mass of girls nearest to us.

"No no no! I mean, uh, you're okay and um, I don't think YOU have cooties but uh..." Shade tried to cover for his verbal blunder but it was too late; an eye searing pink Lupe had spotted him and her gushing squeal brought the attention of every girl within five rows.

"Oooh, hello, handsome," she said, pulling the helpless Lupe from his hiding place.

"What say we head out, girls?" Depth asked us, grinning as Shade tried to fend off the nearest group of chatty girls.

"Yes, let's," Twilight laughed.

We made it to the outskirts of the crowd before Shade caught up with us, his fur frazzled by the many hands that had tried to pet his fur and pinch his cheek and other gushy stuff.

"I hate you all," he growled. "I am traumatized for life!"

"Watch what you say or I'll call another mob over," I threatened, but a smile was working its way across my muzzle.

As 'traumatized' as Shade was, I was pleased by the reactions of the fans tonight. And I was glad to hear that someone was helping others understand that our dark colors didn't mean we were all bad.

The next day dawned bright and cheery, and it was a bleary eyed Neopia who rolled out of bed, still sleepy from the previous day's parties. Most were still lethargic from stuffing themselves full of food and dessert all the previous day. None of our teachers wanted anything to do with homework or even class work; school was closed... for just one more day to let the effects of the party wear off.

I felt lazy and content, but rather bored. Deciding I was bored enough to work, I went to Research Inc and started going through paperwork. If it meant I could sit down and still get something done, I was all for it. Migga joined me a few hours later, but the rest of my team stayed home.

The bells gave a jingle as a tentative looking Island Lutari waddled in. I shared a glance with Migga. No one was scheduled for today; we'd planned ahead for that. Still...

"Hello," I greeted him politely, setting down my paperwork. "How may I help you?"

"Well... I hope you can." He twiddled his claws nervously. "That is... I would like a Shadow paint brush, if I may."

"Well, I see no problem with that." I pulled out an application for him. "You do realize, however, that Lutari aren't available in Shadow, right?"

"Oh! Of course, of course! I'm sorry, I didn't explain myself." He smiled shyly. "M-my sister's birthday is in two weeks. She's a Yurble. And she went to this concert last night. I guess something happened there and... well, she wants to be painted a dark color all of a sudden. I have the Neopoints, of course."

I tried not to look skeptical. Of course, after Moehawk's song, dark colors would be a large fad for a little while. I was concerned that a month or so after she was painted, his sister wouldn't like the color so much after all. Still, it wasn't my job to say so. We could only consult, not make decisions for the client.

I handed him the application. "Does your sister want a petpet or weapons or makeup? We can find those for her too."

"She doesn't like the Battledome," the Lutari admitted, "and she's kind of a tomboy. The last time someone tried to teach her how to be a 'lady', she chased them right out of the house. She did say she wanted a Doglefox, though, doesn't matter what color. Maybe my Dad or my brothers could pitch in and we can all give her this as one big present! Petpet stuff, a petpet, a paint brush!" His face lit up with the idea.

Migga nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," she agreed. "Why don't you take this form home and all of you can fill it out for her?"

"This is going to be one enormous order," I muttered to Migga after the Lutari waddled happily out, "You do know every member of the family is going to want to order something through us."

Migga whickered in agreement. "Hmm. Perhaps so. Depth is going to let off a royal whinny when she finds out we've been through her stuff."

My head snapped around in surprise. "What? Why?"

"Because she doesn't have any Petpet items in her collection," Migga chortled, "and we should add to it."

I groaned and clunked my head down on my desk. "And today was supposed to be easy."

"It will be easy, Dusk," Migga reassured me. "We just need to ask for a catalog from the store and make sure that it's up to date from time to time. Here, I'll go get it for you. You just finish up the rest of the paperwork in front of you."

I smiled. "Thanks, Migga."

She came back an hour later talking cheerfully with a human who was paging through the brand new catalog she'd apparently picked up.

"Well, that didn't take long," I said in mild amusement, sorting the last of the paperwork into their Complete or Incomplete folders, and smiled warmly as the bells jingled, the human opening the door politely for Migga and letting her trot through first.

My eyes widened when the human stepped in and I got a look at his face. It was him! The human who had given us the idea for a consulting business to begin with! He smiled at my startled expression and stepped aside to let the Lutari and a Zafara follow at his heels. The Pteri still perched on his shoulder contentedly.

"It seems you guys have been doing quite well with my suggestion." He smiled. "I heard you're already stuck at appointments only."

"Pretty much," I agreed, and then I smiled. "Though today I think we can handle a walk in or two."

Migga brought several chairs to my desk so everyone could sit down.

"Glad to hear it. We've all decided to order some items through your business, so we've got a big order for you." The owner shook hands with me and opened the catalog Migga had let him borrow.

The three pets straightened eagerly and pointed out the items they wanted to buy, while I made a hasty list for each one, putting their names by the items they planned to buy.

The Lutari was quickly distracted by the sight of Obsidian, and curiosity getting the better of him, he slid to the floor and whistled softly to the Gruslen, clicking his claws on the floor in hopes of enticing him over.

"Ahh ahh, Lutior," his owner hastily corrected his pet. "You forgot the first rule of strange petpets."

"Oopsie. Right." Lutior looked over at me. "Is your Gruslen friendly?"

I smiled. "Friendly enough, if you understand Gruslens. Your best bet is to let him come to you if he's interested."

Soon enough Obsidian decided that the Lutari was interesting enough to examine and sauntered over, giving him a small sniff before allowing Lutior to scritch lightly behind his ears.

Fascinated, the Zafara leaned back to watch the interaction of pet and petpet. The Pteri, however, retreated to his Owner's far shoulder and hid from the feline, muttering about cats and birds not belonging together. That's weird, I thought, blinking in mild confusion at him, Why would cats and birds NOT get along? I've never had problems with Pteri before.

"How did you end up with such a noble fellow?" Lutior asked, having coaxed the now purring Obsidian into his lap and was rhythmically stroking from the top of his head to his rump. Obsidian was a relaxed puddle of contentment under this treatment.

"I got him from a breeder," I informed them, "which is where you want to get all your petpets if you want a companion. Which..." I glanced at the paperwork, "is what you want for your Birthday girl."

At the Owner's nod and set the paper down. "Okay, now here's the biggest thing that I have to impress on you. Most of the petpets we get are through the Trading Post. What we get there is what we get. There's no way to pick the perfect petpet that way. If you really want a good companion for..." I checked the name, "Arouna. I'm going to need you," I looked in the Owner's eye, "to be there with me when I go pick the petpet out. You know what your daughter would like."

"I'll be free all of Tuesday if you'd like. But we should be getting home. Arouna will be getting suspicious soon if we're all out and about at once."

The week progressed, as hectic as ever. Arouna's owner slipped in for an outing with me and we checked out the Doglefox puppies that rolled and tumbled and romped around in the yard, carefully observed by the breeder and under the watchful but benign momma Doglefox.

I explained the fine points of picking the perfect Petpet and showed him how to test the puppies for their reactions. He observed and played with each pup, getting a feel for their behaviors. In the end, he picked an energetic male pup, deciding it would be the best one for his tomboy Yurble who liked to romp around and explore in the woods.

I agreed to keep the Doglefox puppy at the shop until everything could be picked up. In return, we'd get another percentage to pay for basic training and proper care. At Depth's suggestion, Twilight got hold of a ribbon that could be tied into a bow and attached to the puppy's collar like a present.

One by one, items started coming in. Each time, I checked them off the list Arouna's owner had made of the items they would buy from us. In the end, the supplies included a Luxury Castle Petpet Bed, a Cloud Litter Tray, a Starry Symol Bathtub, a Raindorf Scratching Rug, an Ettaphant Petpet Tunnel, and an Ettaphant Petpet Tunnel. I trained the puppy how to use the items as they came in, and gave him a bath and a good brushing on the day Arouna was to come in to pick her gifts up.

She was surprised and delighted, of course, to find the items all lined up and ready to go home. She cooed and gushed over the puppy and squealed with delight over the paintbrush. The items had all been paid for by then, and Depth had done up some quick vouchers for her to exchange for each of her items today. She traded them in one by one, and in proper Shop form, we handed her each of her gifts, each tagged with gift tags to show who had gotten her what.

As the door shut after yet another satisfied set of customers, we all breathed a sigh of relief.


	8. Chapter 8

"Welcome back, everyone!" our Darigan Eyrie teacher announced as nervous groups gripped their reports. "I hope the lot of you remembered how important today is."

There was a collective murmur of discomfort. Several nervously paged through their reports, re-checking to make sure everything was in order.

"I've drawn up a list of groups who will be reporting their findings today. Those that don't go up will be reporting tomorrow," she continued as though we hadn't made a sound, "unless of course, you wish to volunteer yourselves and get it done and over with."

Silence.

"Very well. Midnight, your group is up first."

I closed my eyes tightly. Oh no... This group has Cheeka in it, I thought miserably.

Midnight, another Darigan Lupe, grimaced and handed the report over to Cheeka, a Cybunny.

"Okay, so like, the big M came up with this totally awesome idea and stuff! See, the Money Tree is swarmed with pets trying to grab items and junk, and usually nobody can get anything!" Cheeka began her chatter while a number of us winced. Her voice is high pitched and is the stereotype of a valley girl. She would have been completely comfortable sporting bright pink fur, a bag of makeup and a dozen brainless friends all jawing about the latest neon colored fashion. "So, um, anyway Midnight said this totally cool thing about collecting food for the poor and stuff. We could take, like, donations of all that cheap canned food from the Tombola and the Omelette and all that groovy stuff and give whole bags of it to poor Neopians so they don't have to walk all over Neopia to get a good meal. Isn't that totally fab of him?"

"Thank... you... Cheeka," Midnight ground out, sounding like he was in pain.

"You're like, so totally welcome!" She pranced to the end of the line of her group members, oblivious to the expressions of exasperation. Many compared her to a Beekadoodle on a Neocola sugar rush; she was hyperactive, she was a ditz, and she just couldn't bring herself to talk like a normal Neopet.

Midnight cleared his throat. "We began our business by posting on the Neoboards saying that we would accept trades of foods to anyone who just wanted to be rid of them. We had to be careful, of course, not to beg or spam. Several Chia police became quite interested in what we were doing but seemed to be satisfied when they figured out how we worked. From there things actually seemed to be doing quite well; we set up next to the Money Tree and handed out bags of food to people who applied. We had to limit them to a bag per family because there were so many who needed them that we rarely had enough to take care of everyone who asked."

As Midnight wound down the description of his job and handed in his report, we all clapped politely. His business had been a success, for all the difficulty it involved.

Two more groups went up; one success had started a new line of books containing family recipes, and one failure had tried to sell off a game called "Whack a Faerie." You got double points if you clobbered Fyora. Nobody wanted to be seen playing that obviously, and the Faeries had been very unhappy to hear about it.

When we stood up, I had to swallow a nervous sensation that rose from the bottoms of my feet and worked its way up to the tips of my ears.

Migga gave me a soft reassuring whicker, so I took a deep breath and began.

"At first, we had no idea what we wanted to do. It seemed like everything we thought of, someone had already done it. It was a stroke of luck that a passerby gave us a suggestion. Little did we know..." I grinned, "that it would become one of the most successful new businesses in Brightvale." I explained the idea of how Research Inc. worked, and waved my friends forward to explain their parts in the business.

I passed around a copy of our form, and borrowed the teacher for a mock demonstration of how we worked.

"To date," Depth whinnied proudly, "we are still running a successful business. So successful in fact that we are taking appointments months in advance. Our shop is expanding in Brightvale and we believe that we can continue to succeed even after we graduate."

Applause thundered through the room and curious students murmured questions as we sat down. A few more groups went up that day. Some succeeded; like the group who created a book titled "Customers like Sloth" by gathering stories about the wildest, weirdest and just plain nastiest customers every shopkeeper in the Marketplace had ever had to deal with. Some failed; like the group who tried to sell maps that led directly to Jelly World.

When the bell rang, freeing the lot of us from those hard seats, everyone began to stream out the doors in an overjoyed bid for freedom. Not having anything better to do, Migga and I went for a run.

It felt so good to stretch my legs out. We raced through the dim streets, streaking past tourists and leaving them crying out in surprise behind us as we wove our way expertly through the milling crowds. Side by side we raced, gathering ourselves and leaping over a low wall, making an abrupt turn at a corner, dodging around an Eyrie Drawn Carriage, splashing straight through a fountain of Lord Darigan and finally pounding to a stop at the other side of the Citadel. I sagged, panting softly but feeling elated. Migga's sides heaved as she fought for breath, but she too looked pleased.

"First time... I've been able...to keep up with you," Migga whickered, tossing her mane in weary triumph.

"You did great," I assured her. "You just need to build up your stamina. Your speed is terrific."

"I can see why you are so slender." She was catching her breath remarkably quickly; proof that all these wild runs were improving her wind.

"I don't do it for the exercise," I admitted, buying us a pair of smoothies from a nearby shop. "My wings are too small to ever carry me through the air. So racing at full speed is the next best thing to flying."

Migga nodded. "My wings have always been far too tiny as well. I've always relied on my strength to get me around."

We walked slowly side by side now along the dim streets. My sharp ears caught the stealthy patter of claws on stone and spotted the Shadow Usul slinking off into a dark alley. I shrugged to myself and kept going; when your whole world is dim and dark, creatures of the darkness weren't so scary.

She turned and looked at me. "Dusk... I know it was just a class project but... I don't want it to go away. I'd like to keep it running after school is over."

I smiled at her. "I don't plan on it going away. I think we really have something here. And I don't want to give it up. Don't worry, Migga, I fully intend to keep our business running strong."

We made our way home that night in companionable silence.

5 years later...

Lifestyles of the Famous and Flashiest

Greetings Neopia; this is Ben Kacheek, top reporter for Lifestyles of the Famous and Flashiest, here with my assistant Ashley Aisha. Today I am on a mission to make my appointment with the founders of Research Inc., an amazing business that sprouted in Brightvale and grew to fantastic proportions.

Looking at the magnificent building that stands proudly next to the Wheel of Knowledge, you would never have believed that Research Inc. began as a modest little office run by a handful of students. Neopians come from far and wide to pass through these beautiful doors and to schedule an appointment. One would believe that only the richest Neopets in the world could ever hope to pass into the sweeping marble lobby. Yet as we enter, a Security Eyrie, dressed snappily in a dark blue security suit, doesn't bat an eye on this drizzly afternoon. He merely smiles and indicates to us to make our way to the front desk. Indeed, Neopians of all walks of life enter this building and not a single one is dismissed out of hand by their looks. There's even a Faerie or two gliding along side by side with a pet wearing nothing but a grubby coat. We made an appointment months ago and now we are here to perform a very rare interview with all five of Research Inc's founders. And as a handsome and friendly Island Skeith escorts us up, we can only wonder how things are going to turn out.

"No worries, ya?" he reassures us, in a Mystery Island accent. "If you have an appointment, they'll welcome you."

Indeed, the five students that founded Research Inc also laid down the rules for their employees' behavior. The business is so large that there are literally hundreds of employees in each Consulting department; each and every one of them is an expert in their field. Not a single Neopian who wishes to make an appointment is refused. They may wait for months but they will get one, guaranteed.

We arrive at one of the highest floors, our feet sinking into the lush carpet.

"Twilight, could you give me the time?" The speaker is an immaculately groomed Darigan Kougra with streaks of what appears to be Tyrannian yellow on her face. It can only be the illustrious Dusk; one of the founders of Research Inc. I nervously brush at a bit of mud on my coat, feeling selfconscious.

"It's 1:30 on the dot," says a Darigan Zafara with Faerieland pastels forming highlights in her hair.

"Just in time!" I jump as a powerfully built Tyrannian Uni appears soundlessly at my side. She sports the dusky blue markings of what was once a Darigan paint job.

This would have to be Migga. She smiles at me, a warm and genuine expression that can't be faked. "Please, please come in and be comfortable."

We are ushered into a pair of soft chairs as my companion pulls out a notepad and pencil; primed and ready to take notes. When Dusk nods her reassurance, I place a Virtupets recording device on the table in front of me and turn it on.

I thank them for agreeing to meet with me as they all gather around the desk and make themselves comfortable and then I begin the interview.

"Now, thus far, the basic story of Research Inc's creation is well known. But the Neopian public is very curious to know the real people behind the grand front. Would you kindly enlighten us as to how it all started?"

The lady Twilight smiles and hands me a large frame. When I glance at it, puzzled, I see what appears to be a school report framed and protected behind a sheet of glass.

"A Wow! Excellent job! I hope you continue to pursue your career to the fullest!" I read.

"Research Inc started out as a class project," Dusk begins, "School always had its social class; the pecking order always shifting, sorting, adjusting and contesting with one another to cast out or add members..."

The End


End file.
